The US Department of Energy is supporting a project aimed at providing process design and economic analysis support for the algae platform to guide R&D priorities to commercialization. In short, a technolo-economic rationale for algae biofuels at scale, and co-=products along with those fuels or as a pioneer product set.

The research team aims to translate demonstrated or proposed research advances into economics quantified as $/ton feedstock or $/gal fuel price, and to assess cost-competitiveness and establish process/cost targets for algal biofuel process scenarios — as well as to provide sensitivity analysis to identify impact of key variables and design alternatives on overall economics.

Project leader Ryan Davis of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory gave this illuminating update on the project’s progress and promise at the 2017 DOE Project Peer Review meetings.